SC Delhi 1-2 Mohun Bagan: Key Takeaways from ISL 2026-27 match

Mohun Bagan were able to pick up their first win of the 2026-27 Indian Super League (ISL) campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over SC Delhi in their clash at the Jawarhahlal Nehru Stadium on Friday, 16 October (2026).

Despite going behind in the first half through Lalrinliana Hnamte’s clash in the 23rd minute, the Mariners were able to bounce back with a spirited second half display as goals from Lee Erwin (56’) and Miguel Figueira (60’) was able to help them complete the comeback and get all three points. Here are our talking points from the thrilling clash between the two sides in Delhi.

4. Lalrinliana Hnamte keeps shining in new role for SC Delhi

Lalrianliana Hnamte appears to be shining in the system of Tomasz Tchorz at SC Delhi and especially when it comes to the kind of freedom that the new gaffer is giving him in the opposition half as well. The 23-year-old midfielder was able to prove how he can excel in the free midfield that the SC Delhi gaffer is granting him, repeatedly trying to make clever runs into the danger zones in the final third to be able to threaten the Mariners.

Indeed, it was Hnamte who was able to beat the Mohun Bagan offside trap to get into a prime position into the opposition final third and score a clever goal against the Mariners. The Indian midfielder was also an energetic figure in the midfield, making five defensive contributions and also winning three duels to be a thorn for the Mariners’ midfielders. He was definitely a proactive threat in the midfield for SC Delhi, helping them take the fight for the Mariners and also be a influential threat for SC Delhi.

3. Miguel Figueira pays dividends in influential Mohun Bagan role

Miguel Figueira earned his first start for Mohun Bagan in an ISL match in their clash against SC Delhi, and it proved to be a fascinating performance for the Brazilian midfielder. Figueira had a pretty quiet half against SC Delhi, not really being able to create all that much or be at the end of any major goal-scoring opportunities for his side. However, it was only in the second half that the 26-year-old was able to really open up and really be able to create a major threat for the Mariners.

From the start of the second half, the Brazilian midfielder was able to earn more free space in the opposition half and be able to play with more freedom as well. As a result of all that freedom, Figueira was able to help play a key role in setting up the goal for Lee Erwin for the equalizer in the early parts of the half. Moreover, Figueira was also able to get into a prime goal-scoring area to score his goal – which proved to be the winner for the Mariners to help them get their first win of the 2026-27 ISL season.

2. Persistent defensive issues keep haunting SC Delhi in 2026-27 ISL

A strange case of groundhog day ended up plaguing SC Delhi in their second 2026-27 ISL clash against Mohun Bagan. SC Delhi were actually able to produce a pretty admirable display in their first half against Mohun Bagan, taking the fight to the Kolkata giants and producing some admirable attacking football against them as well. SC Delhi were able to take a lead against the Kolkata side in the first half of their 2026-27 ISL clash, thanks to their heroics of Lalrinliana Hnamte.

However, irrespective of how impressive they were in the first half, SC Delhi were just not able to maintain that kind of a momentum against Mohun Bagan in the second half. The Delhi side allowed the Kolkata side to take majority of the control of the game after the first half, allowing them to score two goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half to take control of proceedings. SC Delhi might have tried to mount a late charge in the final phase of the second half, but were just not efficient enough to trouble the Mariners and ended up suffering another bitter defeat from a winning position – just as they did against Bengaluru FC.

1. Panagiotis Dilmperis’ systematic changes sparks major changes for Mohun Bagan

Heading into the clash against SC Delhi, Mohun Bagan head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis was under quite a bit of pressure to be able to help his side get their first win of the 2026-27 ISL campaign. Well, at least the start to the campaign was not impressive at all for the Mariners as they were just not able to make a good enough impact in the first half and ended up falling behind as the hosts scored the first goal of the game. However, Dilmperis realized that there were some changes that he desperately needed to make at half-time to help his side be able to take the opponents by surprise in the second half.

He did just that, making a few interesting positional changes – moving Lallianzuala Chhangte from the right-wing to the left-wing and also giving more positional freedom to Miguel Figueira. This enabled the Brazilian midfielder to get more freedom to create the chance leading to Lee Erwin’s goal, before he also found the free space for his first Mohun Bagan goal. Ultimately, Dilmperis’ tweaks were enough to be able to push the Mariners to get a big win and get their first big of three points in the 2026-27 ISL season.

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